Bad (1977)

Hazel runs a beauty salon out of her house, but makes extra money by providing ruthless women to do hit jobs. K.T. is a parasite, and contacts Hazel looking for work when he runs out of ... See full summary »

Director:

Jed Johnson

Writers:

Pat Hackett (story), George Abagnalo (story)

Stars:

Cyrinda Foxe, Matthew Anton, Cathy Roskam

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cyrinda Foxe	...	R.C.
Matthew Anton	...	Drugstore Boy
Cathy Roskam	...	Drugstore Mother
Carroll Baker	...	Hazel Aiken
Susan Tyrrell	...	Mary Aiken
Mary Boylan	...	Grandmother
Gordon Oas-Heim	...	Mr. Aiken
Perry King	...	L.T.
Michael Forella	...	Ice Cream Counterman
Kitty Bruce	...	Karla
Tere Tereba	...	Ingrid Joyner
Renee Paris	...	Sara Leachman
Stefania Casini	...	P.G.
John H. Starke	...	Joe Leachman (as John Starke)
Ruth Jaroslow	...	Electrolysis Patient

Storyline

Hazel runs a beauty salon out of her house, but makes extra money by providing ruthless women to do hit jobs. K.T. is a parasite, and contacts Hazel looking for work when he runs out of money. She is reluctant to use him for a hit, since she prefers using women, but decides to try him on a trial basis. Meanwhile, the local cop she pays off wants an arrest to make it look like he's actually doing his job, but she doesn't want to sacrifice any of her "associates." Several other side plots are woven in, populated with characters from the sleazy side of life.

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Plot Keywords:

murder of a baby | psychotronic film | infant | strong female character | talking on telephone | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Crime | Horror

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Certificate:

X

Did You Know?

Trivia

Perry King said Andy Warhol told him in reference to the plot of bad "I wanted to make a film about evil women and incompetent men"

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Goofs

When Mary changes her baby's diaper, the soiled portion of the garment is in the front, not the back as is always the case.

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Quotes

S.F.: She wanted me to get rid of her baby, and then to save the money she chucked it out the window herself, the bitch.
Mary Aiken: [crying] Oh, no! No, no, no! I can't stand it anymore!
S.F.: Don't cry, Mary. I'll get another job tomorrow.

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Alternate Versions

The film was cut for its UK cinema release to remove all closeup footage of pornographic magazine material, and to edit the finger removal scene and shots of a dead baby.

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Connections

References All the President's Men (1976)

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Soundtracks

Talk
Courtesy of David Werner
Courtesy of RCA

User Reviews

Hugely Offensive and Tasteless, but Very Funny

It's fair to say that "Bad", the final film produced by Andy Warhol's studio, is not for everyone.

Hazel Aiken (Carrol Baker) is a New York housewife who runs an electrolysis clinic from her home, as well as running an all-female "murder for hire" business. Her life is complicated by the arrival of boarder LT (Perry King), who is waiting for the call for his first contract killing.

The film is loaded with offensive scenes, including a mother throwing her unwanted baby out of the window of a skyscraper. However there is a strange morality to the film, which explores a world completely without morality, where life is completely meaningless. The film is full of deeply dark humour. This was the most expensive of Warhol's films, and may be his most accessible. If you're a fan of cult film-maker John Waters, you'll probably love this. In fact, this is one of the great cult movies. Recommended to people with strong nerves and stomachs.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 January 1977 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Andy Warhol's Bad

Filming Locations:

New York City, New York, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$1,500,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Factory Films (I)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color